Trou de la Sorcière trail

A hilly route in the countryside, without any major difficulties.

Details

164214
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.50 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 208 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 213 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 399 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 251 m

Description of the walk

Depart from the sports ground at the entrance to Villers-lès-Luxeuil (car parking available).

(S/E) Head into the village via Rue du Gros Tilleul (D140) and follow the Anneau Vert signs all the way.

(1) Take the second street on your left, Rue du Bois d'Ard, and continue gently uphill to leave the village. The road then becomes flat. On the left-hand side of the road, there is a bush in the centre of which you can see a sinkhole called "Trou de la Sorcière" (Witch's Hole): we couldn't find it, but hopefully you'll have better luck..

(2) At the crossroads, turn right and continue north-west to reach the D6, ignoring all turnings on the left and right.

(3) Carefully take this road to the left for 200 metres, then turn right into Rue des Princes. Take the time to visit the village of Velorcey, then join Grande Rue towards the church. Pass the church, leave the town hall on your right and you will come to Rue du Tacot: this is the old Vesoul-Corravillers railway line, built between 1907 and 1912.

(4) Turn left. Continue straight ahead for about 1.5 km (gravel path), passing a small pond on your left, to reach the village of Meurcourt.

(5) Climb the few steps on your left to visit the chapel, then turn around to return to the path. Continue left to enter the village, which you can admire. Continue past the town hall crossroads for a few dozen metres.

(6) Turn left towards the church via Rue du Préfet. Return to the D6 and follow it to the right for about 50 metres.

(7) Cross over to take the street opposite, Rue de l'Art de Vesoul. Begin the climb up a series of hills: ahead of you, you will see a forest covering a steep hillside. Here you will find several orchards where you can enjoy a picnic on a sunny day.
Like almost the rest of the route, this hillside is made up of Upper Triassic layers, among which you can see marl, gypsum and the yellow limestone used to build the village of Meurcourt. In the 19th century, almost all of this plateau and hillside were covered with vineyards.

(8) At the cross, stay on the main path, continuing to follow the Anneau Vert markings, and you will arrive at the foot of Mont Vaulot.

(9) At the fork, continue left to go around it on the right and arrive a little further on the left at the point where the vast quarry opens up, where the beautiful yellow limestone of Meurcourt was once mined.

(10) Continue to the D14, veering slightly to the right, and take it to the left for about 50 metres.

(11) Cross it and turn right onto the path that climbs slowly into the forest. The climb is followed by a flat section.

(12) Turn left towards the north and follow the path that runs along the edge of the communal forests. Follow this path closely, following the Anneau Vert markings, ignoring several turnings on the right, until you reach the forest road known as "Chemin Neuf".

(13) Turn left, continue straight ahead at the next two intersections and reach the entrance to Villers-lès-Luxeuil.

(2) Go down the hill opposite.

(1) Turn right at the point on the D140 to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 282 m - Sports ground car park
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 281 m - Rue du Bois d'Ard on the left
  3. 2 : km 0.63 - alt. 293 m - Cross, on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.94 - alt. 266 m - Junction with the D6
  5. 4 : km 3.62 - alt. 256 m - Rue du Tacot, old railway line
  6. 5 : km 5.05 - alt. 261 m - Chapel in Meurcourt
  7. 6 : km 5.33 - alt. 252 m - Rue du Préfet
  8. 7 : km 5.52 - alt. 257 m - Crossing the D6
  9. 8 : km 6.78 - alt. 299 m - Entrance to the woods
  10. 9 : km 7.64 - alt. 372 m - Fork, on the left
  11. 10 : km 8.45 - alt. 358 m - Quarries
  12. 11 : km 8.9 - alt. 333 m - D14
  13. 12 : km 9.32 - alt. 359 m - Fork to the left
  14. 13 : km 11.2 - alt. 312 m - Chemin Neuf, on the left
  15. S/E : km 13.5 - alt. 282 m - Sports ground car park

Notes

(9) Alternative route: the climb up Mont Vaulot is easy on the left and, from the summit, the view stretches far to the north and south. There are no small signposts, so you need to pay close attention to find the path.

(10) Another possible alternative, via a round trip a little further to the right, allows you to see the layers clearly.

Worth a visit

Between (1) and (2), when you reach the top of the hill, you will discover a beautiful panorama: to the east, the Vosges mountain range with the Ballon de Servance and the Planche des Belles Filles blocks the horizon - on a clear day, you can even see a small peak topped with a white dot at its right end, which is the Chapel of Ronchamp.

Churches and fountains in the various villages.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
3.4 / 5
le saut de bonneille
le saut de bonneille

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route is not very well marked, with many blue circles missing.
you wonder where the witch's hole is, as there are no signs for it
Otherwise, it's a simple route and a bit more pleasant in the forest

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Christopher 06
Christopher 06

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello
First of all, this route is three-quarters tarmac, passing through villages and along a fairly dangerous national road.
The walking route starts to become more physically demanding around the 7th kilometre, but it is still on tarmac until then.
It's more of a walk than a hike.

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Popa
Popa

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Positive points:
- Very well signposted route,
- Beautiful view of the Vosges mountains from the Villers/Velorcey road (unfortunately it was foggy)
- Very pretty villages along the route, well renovated, full of flowers, interesting.
Negative points:
- Three-quarters of the route is paved, even in the forest!
- Couldn't find the Trou de la Sorcière (Witch's Hole) despite the IGN map, GPS and description from the Pays de Saulx tourist information office,
- No view from Mont Vaulot, summit in the middle of the forest...

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ottomar
ottomar

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Good evening. A very beautiful, easy hike, passing through three pretty old villages, with distant but magnificent views of the Vosges, Ballon d'Alsace, Ballon de Servance, beautiful orchards, lovely countryside, beautiful beech and oak forests, some of which are regenerating, about 50% of the route is on small tarmac roads with no traffic, best done in the direction indicated (the last descent taken in the direction of the ascent could have put me off :-) What's more, the weather was clear and cool! A beautiful day in complete privacy: we didn't meet a soul...! On the other hand... the witch

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les bubus
les bubus
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful, easy hike, half in the woods and half in the sun (or clouds). The green round markings are everywhere.
The villages you pass through are nice, and the view in the first part is lovely. However, we didn't see the witch's hole. We guessed where it was, or rather assumed, based on the information in the hike description. That was the only downside. A small sign would have been welcome.
An interesting walk that can be done with the family.

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lepapou
lepapou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Route taken in reverse order, starting with the forest.
Good for getting back into shape after winter as it is not difficult.
A few sights to see in the villages along the way: wash house, chapel, fountain.
But a bit too much tarmac; there are better options.

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kaola123
kaola123

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Three beautiful villages to visit
Too many paved roads
Signposting in need of renovation

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patos
patos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A peaceful hike, with friendly people in the three villages we passed through. In a field, there was a memorial to a man who was struck by lightning in 1895. In the Velorcey cemetery, there was the grave of an English lieutenant killed in 1944. The only downside compared to the map was that, in the woods at the end of the route, the path had been turned into a motorway for logging trucks. We covered 14.5 km.

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argecko63
argecko63

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely routes and scenery on this sunny day. I did it in the opposite direction and particularly enjoyed the forest section. I regret that a third of the route was on tarmac roads.

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gay-peiller
gay-peiller

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

WARNING:
Very pleasant route, except between points 12 and 13, as the loggers have destroyed the route:
- almost no landmarks left
- path heavily obstructed by fallen trees
- trail is badly damaged (between 12 and 13) and strongly discouraged in rainy weather

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